WILDWOOD AREA

Everyone wants to live somewhere “pretty” and Wildwood, a suburb of Powell River in the Powell River region, has an abundance of pretty.  This area boasts spectacular nature views and wildlife viewing.  Because of it’s many miles of hiking trails it isn’t uncommon to completely forget that you are anywhere near civilization.  That is precisely what the residents of Wildwood love about the area.  They are a tiny community that helps to make up the larger region known as Powell River.

THE HISTORY OF POWELL RIVER

Powell River was originally the home of the Sliammon First Nation until European settlers found the area and took over.  Now the region is called Powell Lake and is the region’s original logging industry site. The Powell River region as a whole is thought to have housed somewhere around twenty thousand of the Sliammon First Nation’s people.

The Powell River was founded by a man named Doctor Israel Powell in 1881.  At the time, Doctor Israel Powell was the superintendent for Indian Affairs for the province of British Columbia in Canada and he named the river after himself and said that it was the second shortest river in the world.  This all happened in 1881, but the area didn’t really start to grow in terms of population or as a community until the early 1900s.  The early 1900s introduced logging to the area and a residential area started to spring up because of the industry.

Now, instead of logging and paper production, the Powell River region’s major industry is tourism.  The Powell River area promises locals and visitors a fantastic time in the great outdoors.  The area can boast great beaches to lie out on as well as fishing opportunities, hiking and biking trails and is a great place to do some wildlife watching.   Powell Lake is where visitors can spot Ospreys and Eagles and take part in a lot of different and fun water activities.  Local shopping and lodging keep the Powell River region an annual favorite in terms of vacation choices.  The year round mild weather has earned the region the nickname “Sunshine Coast.”

THE WILDWOOD AREA

Wildwood is a suburb of the Powell River region and can be reached by air, bus service or ferry from Vancouver and Powell River.  It has views of the Malaspina Strait.  The Wildwood area is across from the actual Powell River and to the north of the town.  It’s on the upper part of the “Sunshine Coast” (an area so named because of its year round mild weather).  Wildwood is said to have the mildest climate in Canada.

Wildwood is a great choice for people who are outdoor enthusiasts.  The area has miles and miles of hiking trails.  These trails will take you to waterfalls, lookouts, lakes and have some great alpine hiking as well.  Sometimes you can see an eagle’s nest up in the trees.  These nests are huge—regularly room sized and every year they grow so that more members of the family can fit in to them.

Local Wildwood attractions include: Shingle Mill (where most of the shingles that you’ll see on Wildwood’s houses were made), Fiddlehead Farm (where you can do volunteer work to pay for your room and board instead of using money), Sliammon Creek and the Sliammon Fish Hatchery. 

WILDWOOD REAL ESTATE

With such a pristine setting it would be easy to think that home prices would be outrageously expensive in Wildwood, but they aren’t.  They are reasonable just like the rest of the Powell River region.

If you think that Wildwood is a place you’d like to live, contact RE/MAX.  With several RE/MAX agents in the Powell River region (which includes Wildwood), you can be reassured that you will find a place to live that is both what you need and what you want.  

When looking at Wildwood and the Powell River region it’s good to know that Powell River’s property is often more reasonably priced than the property you’ll find if you were to travel south to the Vancouver Region.  Along with better prices, the homes you’ll find in the Powell River region are also typically larger and kept and have more acreage than the homes you’d find elsewhere. 

People flock to Wildwood because of its pristine setting.  To be sure, often you’ll think you are looking at a larger than life photo or painting instead of seeing real wildlife and vegetation.